Isaiah 21:11

The Bible says in Isaiah 21:11-12, “The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come.” The watchman is asked the same question twice: “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?” Of course, God already knows the answer; but He is asking the Christian to look, to pay attention, and to find out what is really going on around him. Evidently the watchman is a night watchman. The first thing that he says is, “The morning cometh.” The darkness of the night is symbolic of spiritual darkness and of the enemies that will come against the believer. The “morning” is the light that comes after darkness, and is symbolic of the victory that the Lord gives to His children. It is a Bible verse that basically means this: “there is a light at the end of the tunnel.” Jesus was killed and buried, but He rose from the dead. If you are a believer, you might have great trials, and sufferings, and persecutions, and chastisements in this life; but one day you will awake from the darkness of this world into the glorious liberty of the children of light.

This watchman in Isaiah chapter 21 is already watching for the enemy in the “night.” And then the watchman says “the morning cometh, and also the night.” In other words he recognizes a pattern: darkness, then light, more darkness, and then light again. That’s the way life is. It has its ups and downs. Nothing lasts forever in this life. That has both a good side and a bad side to it. If things are going badly, and if you are going through a time of trial or sorrow or persecution; cheer up. Things will turn around because there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Remember that the watchman said, “the morning cometh.”

On the other hand, if things are going very well, watch out. Be a watchman. Good times do not last forever. Beware of the calm before the storm. Be on your watch for the next temptation and the next spiritual attack. Be a watchman as you go through this life. Concerning Jesus, the Bible says in Matthew 26:40-41, “And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

The Bible says in Isaiah 21:13-17, “The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim. The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled. For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war. For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail: And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the LORD God of Israel hath spoken it.” Notice the phrase “the grievousness of war.” For many chapters in Isaiah we have been reading about the judgments that would come upon these countries in the Middle East, and most of them involved war. In other words, one of the ways in which God brings judgment upon a nation is to bring war to that nation. Very few wars are justified. Usually the way of peace was not sought after in the way that it should have been. All wars, whether they can be justified or not, are “grievous.” All wars have certain terrible consequences. All wars cause suffering. All wars cause destruction. All wars are an expensive drain on a country’s budget. Innocent people are killed in war. For the most part the young men of a country do the fighting and the bleeding and the dying, and now some young women do also. When these young soldiers are killed, a tremendous potential is lost and untold life-long suffering must be born by family members and friends who are left to mourn and to grieve. Of course, often the young soldiers are horrifically injured, and carry the injuries to their grave. Too bad that rich old men who sit in palaces make the decisions that send the young people to war. Too bad that they are not sending their own sons and daughters to die. Maybe the leaders of countries would be less inclined to start a war and more inclined to resolve the issues with potential adversaries if the leaders thought more about the “grievousness of war.” Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.”

The Bible says in Isaiah 22:1-11, “The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops? Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle. All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far. Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people. For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains. And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield. And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate. And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest. Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool. And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall. Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.” Once again we are told about war: this time the war that will come against Israel and Judah. War is a terrible thing, and war is a grievous thing. It can be a terrible judgment against a country and the people of that country to be at war. Isaiah said concerning the war that would come against Israel, “I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people. For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.”

There is one and only one proper response to have when a nation is at war: to turn to the Lord God in prayer and in supplication. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He can bring peace. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He can order any country to depart and to cease their activities against you. Jesus can defeat any country. He can defeat any human or spiritual opposition on your behalf. In Isaiah the problem with the Jewish people was that they did not turn to the Lord when they were attacked. Instead of turning to the Lord and seeking His help, they leaned on their own efforts and what they could do to defend themselves. Without faith it is impossible to please God. To have faith means to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord said in Isaiah 22:10-11, “And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall. Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.” If your country is at war, the most important thing to do is to pray and ask for the Lord’s help. It would be a good idea at regular intervals to have national prayer led by the leaders of the country imploring God and recognizing our dependence upon Him.

It says in Isaiah 22:12-25, “And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die. And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts. Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say, What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock? Behold, the LORD will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee. He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house. And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house. And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons. In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.”

In Isaiah 22:14 the Lord said to the people who were living in Israel, “Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die.” God gives life and God brings death. God determines how long every person lives on this earth. One of the reasons that some people die is because God takes them off the earth as a judgment against them. Life is precious. Life is a gift. Life is a wonderful opportunity to know the Savior, to work, to accomplish, to enjoy God’s creation, and to fulfill His will. To lose the opportunity of life is to lose a great gift. Some people die earlier than they should have because of a judgment of God against them. It says in First John 5:16, “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” The Bible also says in First Corinthians 11:30-31, “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”

God has important work for us to do in this world. It is a great blessing and privilege to be given a task to do for Him. But this passage makes it clear that a believer can lose the opportunity that was once given to him to do for God. Christ can become so displeased with a believer that the work is given to someone else to do. That is what happened here in Isaiah chapter 22. It says in Isaiah 22:19-22, “And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder.” If you believe in Jesus, make sure that you stay close to the Lord and do the things that please Him. Be careful, or your opportunities could be taken away from you and given to someone else. The Bible says in First Peter 1:10-11, “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

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